| |
By Sarah Falson and AP | Wednesday | 22/08/2007
Viacom’s MTV Networks and digital media company, RealNetworks, have joined forces to launch a digital music service in the US that will take on Apple’s as-yet-unrivalled iTunes service, replacing MTV and Microsoft’s Urge and RealNetworks’ Rhapsody subscription service, which have so far failed to cause a significant dent in Apple’s revenue. According to figures from US-based market research firm, NPD, both Urge and Rhapsody have struggled to claim their stake in the limited market share left from iTunes' 68 per cent-ownership of the legal music download market from November 2006 to January this year.
The new service, dubbed Rhapsody, will be headed-up by current Urge director, Michael Bloom. Though the Urge brand, co-owned by Microsoft, will be killed off, MTVN Music/Logo/Films Group president, Van Toffler, believes the forthcoming joint venture will allow RealNetworks and Verizon to better fight iTunes.
"We believe it will be the best of both services," said Toffler in a conference call with US media yesterday.
"The collaboration of these three companies is like a perfect storm."
US-based users will be able to access the new service via computers, music players and mobile phones compatible with Verizon Wireless's Vcast multimedia service.
Print this article
Email this story to a friend
Link this story:
|
|
|
|
